Contemplate relationships and life choices with “Past Lives”
The topic of reincarnation has been quite a discussion for years now. While there is still no official research proving the existence of this phenomenon, you can’t stop the ever-active human mind from asking, “What if?” What if there is no concept of ‘wrong person’, maybe it’s just not yet the ‘right’ time?
“Past Lives” follows childhood best friends Nora (Greta Lee) and Haesung (Teo Yoo) who were later separated when Nora’s family immigrated to Toronto. They reconnect through video calls after 12 years. After 12 more years, Haesung visits Nora, who is now married to Arthur (John Magaro). Nora and Haesung’s reconnection causes them to wonder about the ‘what ifs’, and ‘might have beens’ from their past.
If you did not catch “Past Lives” last year in cinemas, here are four reasons (with slight spoilers) and my favorite quotes to convince you to include it in your watchlist!
Beautiful visuals
“If you leave something behind, you gain something, too.”
The movie has gorgeous cinematography and helps with setting the mood of every scene. Highlighting warm tones during happy moments, and the use of shadows and cold tones for sad moments really helps you get into the feel of the movie.
If you like watching movies with good visuals, this is surely worth the watch.
Wonderful actors
“You dream in a language that I can’t understand. It’s like there’s this whole place inside of you where I can’t go.”
Greta Lee did an amazing job in bringing the ambitious Nora to life. You could feel Nora’s frustrations and what she had to leave behind to get where she wanted to be. Teo Yoo broke my heart as well, which is a good sign. His sad acceptance of the current situation is really something that is forever seared into my mind. Greta Lee and Teo Yoo’s partnership was also such a treat. They portrayed the awkward first meetings after being separated yet the familiarity of being together really well.
John Magaro really did justice to his character. He was able to bring Arthur to life beautifully. He was able to translate Arthur’s emotions and pensive thoughts.
Poetic storytelling
“The reason I liked you is because you’re you. And who you are is someone who leaves.”
The movie is more expressive and leaves a few empty spaces in its storytelling. While the empty spaces may make it feel incomplete and lacking characterizations, personally it helps with letting the audience put themselves in the shoes of the characters.
Inyun: Right person, wrong lifetime
“It’s just that you make my life so much bigger. And I’m wondering if I do the same thing for you.”
The concept of inyun (인연) is that every interaction between you and another person is never an accident. Even just the act of strangers passing by and their clothes brushing against each other is an inyun. When two people marry there are at least 8,000 layers (over 8,000 lifetimes) of inyun between them.
Inyun is a huge part in the story of Nora, Haesung, and Arthur. It adds to the bittersweet first meeting of Haesung and Arthur and makes you feel more for the different kinds of love that Nora experienced. It highlights the emotions and the questions of “What if?”
Inyun opens up the possibility that if not in this lifetime, then maybe the next.
Everyone has a different experience when watching “Past Lives”, and I think how you feel after watching it depends on where you are in your life. It’s one of those movies that you have to watch for yourself.
Currently, “Past Lives” is not yet out in official streaming services for the Philippines. Follow official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X for future updates on streaming.
